Queen's Gambit Declined:Lasker Defense

Named after Emanuel Lasker: Black frees the position with ...Ne4 and trades pieces.

It is reached after 10 moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Ne4. It is a line of the Queen's Gambit Declined.

White is to move and has 42 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 2,365,972 different games. Those games reach 774,342 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

No later position on this line has a name of its own in the Lichess opening list: the names end here.

The same moves can be played in 300 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Ne4, which starts as the English Opening.